Transfigurations

Welcome to Transfigurations! This blog is intended to serve the orthodox Anglican community and the wider Christian community. We pray that all that is posted here will be faithful to the Scriptures as the inspired word of God, speak the truth in love, edify, bless and transform this local body of Christ, and be an impetus for revival, repentance, prayer and intercession!

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

There is no power like that of prevailing prayer - of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heart-broken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat and blood. Add to this list from the records of the church your personal observation and experience, and always there is cost of passion unto blood. Such prayer prevails. It turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God.Samuel ChadwickBiographylink

Hurricane city to be abandonedFrom Tim Reid in WashingtonNew Orleans mayor fears thousands may have perished

NEW ORLEANS is to be abandoned as flood waters pour in through huge breaches in the city’s defences. The Governor of Louisiana gave the order as the mayor said that thousands may have died.

“Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands,” said Ray Nagin, the Mayor, when asked about the death toll. “There are dead bodies floating in the water. The rescuers were basically pushing them aside as they rescued people.”

The governor’s order has few precedents in modern history, but officials said that the city of 500,000 faced catastrophic destruction and could be rendered uninhabitable for months. President Bush said that it could take years to recover from the flooding.

Katrina Recovery Will Take Years, Bush SaysMelanie HunterSenior Editor

(CNSNews.com) - Calling it "one of the worst natural disasters" in history, President Bush said Wednesday the recovery effort from Hurricane Katrina will take years.

Flying over the Gulf Coast on his way back from Crawford, Texas, the president could see the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused.

"The vast majority of New Orleans, Louisiana is under water. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are beyond repair. A lot of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has been completely destroyed. Mobile is flooded. We're dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history," Bush said in a Rose Garden press conference.

Yesterday Wal-Mart donated $1 million to the Salvation Army for disaster relief. The Salvation Army says the money will lessen the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

"The size of this is massive," said Maj. Dalton Cunningham, Salvation Army divisional commander. "It is covering several states and coming several hundred miles inland. So the needed resources are going to be more widespread. This one is hitting multiple cities."

As of yesterday, "approximately 100 Salvation Army workers are presently working either in the field—such as at shelters in New Orleans—or at national and regional headquarters to coordinate activities. Another 200 are standing by at the perimeter of the storm, waiting on the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assess where best to direct resources," said the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is preparing to serve 400,000 people per day on 72 mobile canteens. Another 20,000 people can be fed by two 54-foot mobile kitchens.

(AgapePress) - The head of the pro-life activist group Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP) says it's time to call for a halt to U.S. government funding for that organization, especially now that the supposed non-profit agency has made what he calls a sweetheart deal with Barr Pharmaceuticals, producer of the "Plan B" morning-after pill.

STOPP executive director Jim Sedlak says the arrangement between the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Barr Pharmaceuticals means that the nation's largest abortion provider will be making $20 in profit for every Plan B kit it sells. "And last year," he notes, "Planned Parenthood says they sold 774,000 kits, which means they made a profit of over $15 million."

I’m sorry for not deleting the arrows and making other formatting changes; things have been a bit crazy to blog as I usually would. But, Professor Ghetti’s thoughts were very sobering. While lawyers are often the object of many jokes, this is simply no laughing matter.

>>5,000 - 6,000 lawyers (1/3 of the lawyers in Louisiana) have lost their>offices, their libraries, their computers with all information thereon,>their client files - possibly their clients, as one attorney who>e-mailed me noted. As I mentioned before, they are scattered from>Florida to Arizona and have nothing to return to. Their children’s>schools are gone and, optimistically, the school systems in 8>parishes/counties won’t be re-opened until after December. They must>re-locate their lives.

THE WORST-CASE scenario, or something close to it, has befallen southern Louisiana and its Gulf Coast neighbors, Alabama and Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina's howling, lethal force has dealt an immense blow to the region, exacting a shattering price in treasure and lives. As a human tragedy, Katrina's magnitude is still difficult to comprehend, but spare statistics hint at it: tens of thousands of homes destroyed; 2.5 million people without power; a death toll running into dozens and possibly scores.

The rescue and relief effort over the coming weeks and months will have to address not only physical damage that may reach into the tens of billions of dollars, but also the peril to public health. In a major American city whose neighborhoods and streets are now submerged under water befouled by garbage, gas and debris, and whose hospitals -- if they have not been evacuated -- are overflowing, the authorities could have their hands full maintaining a decent level of public health.

IN seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in Him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month.CH Spurgeon

At the time of the Los Angeles riots, I wrote a piece for the May 3, 1992 Los Angeles Times titled "When Television Throws a Riot." It isn't available in the online archives, but the thrust of it was that televsion coverage can and does communicate invitations to lawlessness which are acted on by people who realize that there is no threat of police arriving and arrest.

This same dynamic seems to be taking over in New Orleans right now, and even though very few folks are watching television with the power out, news still travels instantly, and television producers have got to discipline themselves to refuse to broadcast pictures of and locations of looting, especially in the areas outside of New Orleans. The government cannot enforce such a ban, but it is very much in the interest of the people in the devastated region these media outlets purport to serve to downplay civil unrest. The national shows also need to avoid throwing fuel on the fire. If you want more civil unrest, broadcast pictures of civil unrest and the cell phones and blackberries will do the rest.

Cash Sought To Help Hurricane VictimsVolunteers Should Not Self-DispatchRelease Date: August 29, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Voluntary organizations are seeking cash donations to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast states, according to Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. But, volunteers should not report directly to the affected areas unless directed by a voluntary agency.

“Cash donations are especially helpful to victims,” Brown said. “They allow volunteer agencies to issue cash vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs. Cash donations also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to store, sort, pack and distribute donated goods. Donated money prevents, too, the prohibitive cost of air or sea transportation that donated goods require.”

NEW ORLEANS, LA, United States (UPI) -- Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco declared Wednesday a day of prayer as uncounted bodies floated in and around hurricane-battered New Orleans.

Two days after Hurricane Katrina came ashore with winds of 140 mph, city and state officials were still unable to estimate how many died from the winds and flooding from heavy rain and two broken levees that swamped New Orleans.

In declaring Wednesday a day of prayer, Blanco suggested residents ask "that God give us all the physical and spiritual strength to work through this crisis and rebuild."

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy is sending four ships carrying water and other supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, while medical disaster teams and Red Cross workers from across the country converged on the devastated Gulf Coast region.

The Red Cross, which sent in 185 emergency vehicles to provide meals, reported it had about 40,000 people in 200 shelters across the area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said medical specialists from Washington state were joining similar teams called in from Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida to assist people in damaged areas.

Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said Wednesday the Bush administration will also release oil from federal petroleum reserves to help refiners affected by Hurricane Katrina. The move is designed to give refineries in the Gulf Coast area a temporary supply of crude oil to take the place of interrupted shipments from tankers or offshore oil platforms affected by the storm.

The US Army, Navy and Coastguard will try and save the city of New Orleans and reach survivors of Hurricane Katrina today as the full force of the federal Government is swung into action after the country's most devastating natural disaster in recent times.

With hundreds feared dead in shattered buildings along the Gulf Coast and tens of thousands more homeless, President Bush returned to Washington last night to oversee the rescue effort. The Pentagon called up army reservists and ordered five ships, a hovercraft and eight naval rescue teams to the region.

The most audacious repair effort will continue today in New Orleans, where the Navy and the US Army Corps of Engineers are dropping sandbags and concrete into the broken dams that have been overwhelmed by the floodwaters of the storm.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Lord of compassion and power,be with those who have survived this disaster:minister to their needs of mind and spirit,body and circumstance;heal those who are hurt;give peace to the dying;comfort and support the bereaved;and to all who are working to bring relief and restore ordergive strength and resilience to do their work well;for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen

WASHINGTON -- The Southern Baptist Convention website categorizes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a ''cult" that is ''radically" different from historic, biblical Christianity.

A faith guide issued by the influential Christian right group Focus on the Family declares that ''God cannot be identified . . . with the Mormon religion's notion of god." And each year, evangelical organizers behind the National Day of Prayer bar Mormons from speaking at their proceedings.

As Governor Mitt Romney mulls a race for president in 2008, his strategists expect their ''family values" candidate -- who opposes gay marriage, abortion, and some forms of embryonic stem cell research -- to find a natural base of support among religious conservatives. ''As Mitt's traveled the country and tested the waters, he's gotten very strong responses, including from religious conservatives," said Michael Murphy, a political consultant who advises Romney.

Christians Call for Prayers as Women Wait Court Decision on Conversions in IndonesiaChristians around the world are praying for the verdict of the three Christian women accused of Christianising Muslim children in Indonesia.Posted: Tuesday, August 30 , 2005, 11:02 (UK)

Christians around the world are praying for the verdict of the three Christian women accused of Christianising Muslim children in Indonesia. The trial for Dr. Rebecca Laonita, Mrs. Ratna Mala Bangun, and Mrs. Ety Pangesti, ended on Thursday 25th August and the verdict will be presented on Thursday 1st September 2005.

The trial has come about after the three women had conducted a “Happy Week” VBS-type program earlier this year in their homes in the village of Haurgelis, West Java. The women were charged with “Christianisation” when Muslim imams heard that Muslim children had also joined the program. They were accused of violating Indonesia’s Child Protection Act of 2002 and have been held in prison without bail since the end of May.The rest

Scalia Questions ‘Sanity’ of Important Moral Decisions like Abortion Being Decided by ‘Unelected Judges’

ORANGE, California, August 30, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia denounced on Monday the use of “unelected judges” to decide morally-charged issues like abortion and same-sex “marriage.”

Speaking after a Chapman University law school re-enactment of a 100-year-old law case, Scalia said, as reported by AP, “I am questioning the propriety - indeed, the sanity - of having a value-laden decision such as this made for the entire society ... by unelected judges.”

Every thoughtful person must deal with the problem of evil. Evil acts and tragic events come to us all in this vale of tears known as human life. The problem of evil and suffering is undoubtedly the greatest theological challenge we face.

Most persons face this issue only in a time of crisis. A senseless accident, a wasting disease, or an awful crime demands some explanation. Yesterday, evil showed its face again as Hurricane Katrina came ashore on the Gulf Coast.http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1348437.html

In late June, the high court ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that cities could take private property for development if it meant benefits for the community as a whole. Last week the Supreme Court denied a petition filed on behalf of residents of New London to reconsider its original 5-4 ruling.

Steven Anderson of the Institute for Justice contends that the refusal to rehear the case carries an ominous message. "It makes crystal clear that the federal government is going to provide no protection for the property rights of home and small business owners around the country," he says.

(AgapePress) - The University of California system is being sued for alleged viewpoint and content discrimination against Christian school instruction and textbooks.

The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), which represents more than 800 schools worldwide, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a University of California policy that bars students taught from a conservative Christian viewpoint from being admitted to schools in the UC system. The suit accuses the university system of violating the free-speech rights of Christian students.

Muslims Deliver Two Threats to PopeBenedict met with Muslim leaders and said they had "a great responsibility" to educate young Muslims about the evils of extremism.By ERIC J. LYMAN

RNS) The Vatican was on high alert Aug. 26 after two written threats, but a spokesman for the Holy See said it had no reason to think the threats -- which mentioned Pope Benedict XVI by name -- were especially credible.

The threats, which were faxed to a Spanish television station and newspaper earlier in the week, carried the heading "The Pope of the Vatican Goes to War," and were signed by an unknown person named D. Abdouh. The document said that after years of neutrality, the Vatican has come out against the Islamic world since Benedict became pope in April.

The great stem-cell debate has been portrayed in the mainstream press as a conflict between science and religion, between facts and prejudice. This has never been fair, but The Washington Post sinks to a new level in its take on the strongest evidence so far in favor of the administration's refusal to fund new embryo destruction. Their news report on an extraordinary Harvard story reads like an op-ed, and it has the almost incredible title: "Stem Cell Advance Muddles Debate: Work May Stall Efforts to Lift Research Limits."

This reads like a headline from The Onion. Scientists come up with a Nobel-level breakthrough allowing scientists to convert human skin cells into embryonic stem cells. They have the honesty to publish results that are politically inconvenient (because we can now say, "I told you so, ethical science works"). And the press frames their achievement as if it "muddles" the debate—because, of course, it makes it harder for those who want the federally funded destruction of embryos.

(AgapePress) - It is called emergency contraception. By any other name, Roget's Thesaurus calls it a crisis, a highly volatile, dangerous situation requiring immediate remedial action.

We're all familiar with emergencies. The water pipe that breaks and floods the house ... the car brakes that fail, sending you sailing through the intersection right under a red light ... the flames erupting from the skillet on the stove, burning oil popping onto wood cabinets and kitchen curtains ... the Category four hurricane bearing down on your coastal home ... the tight chest pains making you collapse onto the snow bank you've been shoveling ... all of them dangerous situations requiring immediate remedial action.

It used to be called emergency contraception for a good reason. It implied that thoughtful, careful people were going about their lives, following prudent actions, taking care to avoid emergencies ... when all of a sudden, an emergency happened ... totally out of the blue ... unexpected ... unanticipated ... and outside of our control.

(AgapePress) - The head of research for an annual survey of adolescents conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University says its study has found that teenagers today have more access to drugs at school than in previous years. That widespread access, along with another surprising factor, may mean more teens are at risk than many parents realize.

Elizabeth Planet says the CASA survey found that 62 percent of high school students say drugs are in the schools, and 28 percent of middle school students report the same. And both of these statistics, she notes, have increased since last year.

Availability has a proven effect on whether kids will start using drugs, Planet says. Despite law enforcement's drug-free zone efforts and schools' zero-tolerance policies, she reveals that responses to some of the questions asked on the Center's survey suggest there has been little progress made toward decreasing the availability of illicit drugs in and around schools.

The Air Force issued new religion guidelines to its commanders yesterday that caution against promoting any particular faith - or even "the idea of religion over nonreligion" - in official communications or functions like meetings, sports events and ceremonies.

The guidelines discourage public prayers at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services, one of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But they allow for "a brief nonsectarian prayer" at special ceremonies like those honoring promotions, or in "extraordinary circumstances" like "mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters."

The Air Force developed the guidelines after complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that evangelical Christians leaders were using their positions to promote their faith.

The Plight of African Christians - From AllAfrica.com8/29/2005By Bugalo Chilume

In African culture, homosexuality is taboo. President Robert Mugabe has been widely reported to have said that homosexuals are worse than pigs, which didn’t go down well with the West. Sam Nujoma is also known to have publicly unpalatable terms to describe homosexuality. In fact, he is reported to have ordered the arrest and deportation of homosexuals from Namibia.

Across the continent, homosexuality is a criminal offence, except in South Africa, where the minority white race was in power prior to majority rule - they ensured that the country’s new constitution guaranteed freedom of sexual orientation before relinquishing power to the Africans.

Traditional Christian teachings frown upon homosexuality, as does African culture. It is against this background that the majority of African Christians, Anglicans in particular, are agonising over the consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly gay American divorcee of two, as bishop of an Episcopal Church, the American version of the Anglican Church. Most are horrified, and the consecration was met with harsh condemnation across Africa. The Kenyan Anglican archbishop is reported to have lamented that, “the devil has clearly entered the church. God cannot be mocked”.

Monday, August 29, 2005

The nominal Christian, then, will see Jesus as a name, a representative, a symbol, a personification, a prototype, a figure, a model, an exemplar for something else. The nominal Christian pays homage to something about Jesus, rather than worshipping the man himself. For this reason, nominal Christians will extol the moral teachings of Jesus, the faith of Jesus, the personality of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the world view of Jesus, the self-understanding of Jesus, etc. None of these worships Jesus as the Christ, but only something about him, something peripheral to the actual flesh-and-blood man. This is why when the almighty God came into the world in Jesus, he came as the lowest of the low, as weakness itself, as a complete and utter nothing, in order that men would be forced into the crucial decision about him alone and would not be able to worship anything about him.... Robert L. Short, "The Parables of Peanuts" http://cnonline.net/~TheCookieJar/quotes_christian.html

O Lord God who art all in all to me, Life of my life and Spirit of my spirit, have mercy on me and fill me with Thy Holy Spirit and with love that there may be no room for anything else in my heart. I ask not for any blessing, but for Thyself, who art the giver of all blessings and of all life. I ask not for the world and its pomp and glory, nor for heaven, but I need Thee Thyself, for where Thou art, there is heaven. In Thyself alone is satisfaction and abundance for my heart; Thou Thyself, O Creator, hast created this heart for Thyself, and not for any other created thing. Therefore this heart cannot find rest in aught but Thee: only in Thee, O Father, who hast made this longing for peace. So now take out of this heart whatever is opposed to Thee and abide and rule in it Thyself, Amen

Evangelical Billy Graham Breaks Ground for Historic Library, MuseumBilly Graham helped break ground Friday on a library and museum aimed at chronicling his life, ministry and service to the church, long after he is gone.Posted: Monday, August 29 , 2005, 8:32 (UK)

Billy Graham helped break ground Friday on a library and museum aimed at chronicling his life, ministry and service to the church, long after he is gone. The Billy Graham Library, scheduled to open in 2007, will display exhibits, multimedia displays and films. The 40,000 square foot library is being designed to looked like a dairy barn similar to the one Graham grew up in Charlotte, N.C.

'Elite' Colleges Not Always Best for Young Christians, Says Home School AdvocateBy Allie MartinAugust 29, 2005

(AgapePress) - A leader in the home-schooling movement is calling on Christian parents to help their children find colleges that are academically excellent -- and faithfully Christian.

Michael Farris is a constitutional attorney; founder, chairman, and general counsel of the Home School Legal Defense Association; and president of Patrick Henry College in Virginia. As the father of ten home-schooled children, Farris has a personal interest in ensuring that his children's education furthers the principles and values instilled in them at home.

In his new book -- The Joshua Generation -- Farris examines the philosophical shift made by "elite" universities during the past century. He says Christian parents must thoroughly examine any university or college before their child attends. Parents, he says, need to know what they are dealing with. "We cannot assume that our kids are going to go off to college and that it will be either a positive experience spiritually or a neutral experience," he shares.

(CEN, August 29, 2005) – Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 level storm, made first landfall at about 6 a.m. CDT, just east of New Orleans. As of 10 a.m. CDT, it had made its third landfall, with sustained winds of 125 mph and gusts of 140 mph or more. Emergency response officials are predicting it could be one of the most damaging storms in the history of the United States.

CEN Founder and Chairman Mary Marr calls upon Christians to help share the love of Christ in this trying time with a single voice, and to heed the advice of emergency preparedness experts. “At a time like this, the inclination of a Christian is to help, and that is exactly what we should do,” said Marr. “However, it is critical that we help in ways that are the most practical, so it is important to heed what experts tell us. Some efforts could be unnecessarily duplicated, or folks could actually hinder the work of emergency workers if they don’t respond appropriately.”

She continued, “The most important steps Christians can take at this time is to share the hope found only in Christ through a message of prayer-care-share for those impacted by the storm, and those providing relief.”

BILOXI, Miss. (BP)--Baptist churches and association buildings across the region were being opened as shelters for those fleeing Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall near Grand Isles, La., early Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm with maximum winds of 140 mph battering the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley issued a mandatory evacuation for everyone on campus Saturday morning as Katrina approached. Notices were hand delivered to every door on campus, and all students, faculty and nonessential staff members were encouraged to leave immediately. Seminary classes and offices were closed Monday through at least Wednesday pending the hurricanes impact on the campus and the city at large. Story

This year's state legislative season draws to a close having produced a near-record number of laws imposing new restrictions on a woman's access to abortion or contraception.

Since January, governors have signed several dozen antiabortion measures ranging from parental consent requirements to an outright ban looming in South Dakota. Not since 1999, when a wave of laws banning late-term abortions swept the legislatures, have states imposed so many and so varied a menu of regulations on reproductive health care.

Truth, not eloquence, is to be sought for in Holy Scripture. Each part of the Scripture is to be read with the same Spirit wherewith it was written. We should rather search after profit in Scriptures, than subtilty of speech. We ought to read plain and devout books as willingly as high and profound. Let not the authority of the writer offend thee, whether he be of great or small learning; but let the love of pure truth draw thee to read. Search not who spoke this or that, but mark what is spoken. Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remaineth forever. ... Thomas à Kempis, Of the Imitation of Christ

Parents: Do You Know What Your Kids Think?S. Michael CravenAuthor, Speaker, VP for Religion & Culture at the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families Monday, August 29, 2005

This past week I had an opportunity to talk with two sixteen year-old skeptics - a friend of this ministry invited me to his and his wife's home to speak with their neighbor's daughter and her friend.

This wonderful couple has been ministering to this young girl for the past nine years and now in the prime of her teen years she has come to ask some serious questions about life and faith.What followed over the course of our three-hour discussion was one of the most poignant examples of the failure of modern churches to treat ministry to youth seriously and the devastating reality of postmodern relativistic thinking.

Kyle Lewis, 25, missed going to church one Sunday last month. But he did not miss the sermon.

Mr. Lewis, who regularly attends services of the National Community Church in Alexandria, Va., listened to the sermon while he was at the gym, through a recording he had downloaded to his iPod. Instead of listening to the rock music his gym usually plays, he heard his pastor's voice.

"Having an iPod is a guaranteed way to get the sermon if you're going to be out of town," Mr. Lewis said, adding that he listens to the pastor's podcast at least once more during the week, usually while driving to work, even during weeks he makes it to services.

Mr. Lewis's pastor, the Rev. Mark Batterson, started podcasting, or "godcasting" as he prefers to call it, last month to spread the word about his congregation. The hourlong recordings of his weekly service, available on theaterchurch.com, have already brought new parishioners to his church, he said. Story

Look around the magazine racks at your local Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble or Rite Aid and you may see some new titles amid the regulars. Charisma, a magazine principally aimed at Pentecostal Christians, this summer launched a concerted effort to cross over into the general market, following in the footsteps of Christian music and books that have made the leap from religious to secular shelves.

And it's not alone: Precious Times, a quarterly publication for African-American Christian women, entered Barnes & Noble in April. Around the same time, NavPress Periodicals started placing its Pray! and Discipleship Journal magazines in stores like Borders.

"As a publisher we would like to get our message out to a broader and broader audience," Stephen Strang, publisher of Charisma magazine, said in an interview. "There's a new receptivity."Story

On a recent visit to Virginia I met one of my heroes: Jürgen Moltmann. I have plowed through almost a dozen of his books, and to my surprise, the German theologian in person exuded a charm and sense of humor that belie his scholarly works.

Moltmann was planning on a career in quantum physics until he was drafted at age 18 at the height of the Second World War. Assigned to anti-aircraft batteries in Hamburg, he saw compatriots incinerated in the fire-bombings there. The question "Why did I survive?" haunted him.

After surrendering to the British, the young soldier spent the next three years in prison camps in Belgium, Scotland, and England. When Hitler's empire imploded, exposing the moral rot at the center of the Third Reich, Moltmann saw how other German prisoners "collapsed inwardly, how they gave up all hope, sickening for the lack of it, some of them dying." As he learned the truth about the Nazis, Moltmann felt an inconsolable grief about life, "weighed down by the somber burden of a guilt which could never be paid off."

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Howling wind from Hurricane Katrina peeled holes in the roof of the Superdome on Monday morning as thousands of people huddled inside seeking shelter.

Pieces of metal sheared off, leaving two holes that were visible from the floor. Water dripped in and people were moved away from about five sections of those seats.

The development, around 8 a.m. as the storm neared its peak outside, did not create any visible fear among the estimated 8,000 to 9,000 people who spent the night in the huge arena. Some watched as sheets of metal, flapping visibly, rumbled loudly. From the floor, looking up more than 19 stories, it appeared to be openings of about 6 feet long.

General Manager Glenn Menard said he did not know how serious the problem was. "We have no way of getting anyone up there to look," he said.

linkLord, we ask that you protect all those sheltered in the Superdome! In Jesus' Name. Amen

The enormously powerful Hurricane Katrina approaching New Orleans on Monday morning has already prompted local officials to call for a citywide evacuation of residents. Meanwhile, Christian relief groups are positioning themselves to provide aid to the affected in the aftermath of what could be a catastrophic storm.

Katrina's Category 5 classification by meteorologists places it in the most intense category of hurricanes. It has been making its way through the Gulf of Mexico this past weekend with wind speeds surpassing 160 mph and is expected to hit New Orleans at dawn on Monday.

"Have God on your side, definitely have God on your side," said Nancy Noble to the Associated Press as she sat in traffic gridlock on the Interstate 10 with three friends as they attempted to escape the brunt of the storm. She added, "It's very frightening."

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Please pray for those in the path of the hurricane!From Lent and BeyondAscribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. . . . The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29:1-4, 10-11 ESV

Ancient of Days,You are seated on the throne of heaven, surrounded by a rainbow that has the appearance of an emerald. From the throne come flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne are burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. Before the throne is a sea of glass like crystal, peace and serenity amidst infinite power.We are unworthy to approach Your throne. Yet we stand in the court. We have been brought near by the blood of Christ.May we win favor in Your sight. As our prayers arise as incense before Your throne, extend Your golden scepter to us and dissipate Katrina’s winds. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus, the Son of Man. Amen. Esther 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:13, Revelation 4:2-6, 5:8

God of heaven and earth, God who carries our lives and the lives of our whole community in your hands, be with us in the peril of this day/night. Help us to release our anxieties and fears into those same caring hands, knowing in faith that your will for us is life and everlasting good. Send your holy angels to watch over us and guard us. May they spread their holy wings to give us shelter against the storm. For you alone, O God, are all good, all life, all love, and that love is for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. linkJesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace. † God became man, † and the Word was made flesh. † Christ was born of a Virgin. † Christ suffered. † Christ was crucified. † Christ died. † Christ rose from the dead. † Christ ascended into Heaven. † Christ conquers. † Christ reigns. † Christ orders. † May Christ protect us from all storms and lightning † Christ went through their midst in Peace, † and the word was made flesh. † Flee you enemy spirits because the Lion of the Generation of Judah, the Root David, has won. † Holy God! † Holy Powerful God! † Holy Immortal God! † Have mercy on us. Amen !

( BP) -- The Southern Baptist Convention approved a June 22 resolution proclaiming an end to its eight-year boycott of The Disney Company.

The Disney resolution, passed in a nearly unanimous vote by messengers to the SBC annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., said Southern Baptists rightly called for a boycott of the conglomerate in 1997 but now it was time to "declare a conclusion" to the effort.

The boycott has been effective in expressing Southern Baptists' disagreement with Disney "products and policies that violate moral righteousness and traditional family values," and such an economic action must be "specifically targeted and of limited duration" to be effective, according to the resolution.

Evacuation Ordered for New Orleans As Hurricane Katrina Bears Down With Wind at Nearly 175 MphSunday, August 28, 2005 01:14:53 PM

The mayor ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans, a city sitting below sea level with 485,000 inhabitants, as Hurricane Katrina bore down with wind revving up to nearly 175 mph and threats of a massive storm surge. Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave before the eye of the storm strikes land sometime Monday morning, the city set up 10 places of last resort including the Superdome.

"This is a once in a lifetime event," Mayor Ray Nagin said. "The city of New Orleans has never seen a hurricane of this magnitude hit it directly."

The mayor said a direct hit by Katrina's storm surge would likely top the levees that protect the city from the surrounding water of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and marshes. The bowl-shaped city must pump water out even during normal times, and the hurricane threatened electricity that runs the pumps.

(CNA) - A Canadian woman who grew up in a homosexual household in Toronto in the 60s and 70s says same-sex marriage does not respect or protect the rights and best interests of children.

Dawn Stefanowicz said as a child she was at high risk of exposure to contagious STDs due to sexual molestation, her father's high-risk sexual behaviors, and multiple partners. She shared her personal story and her position on same-sex marriage in a statement at a pro-family rally in Ottawa on Parliament Hill in April.

Her father, who was molested by older males as a child, lived with depression, control issues, anger outbursts, suicidal tendencies and sexual compulsions. He died of AIDS in 1991.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Prayer for Those in Danger from the HurricanePrayer to be used in storms at sea.O Most powerful and glorious Lord God, at whose command the winds blow, and lift up the waves of the sea, and who stillest the rage thereof; We, thy creatures, but miserable sinners, do in this our great distress cry unto thee for help; Save, Lord, or else we perish. We confess, when we have been safe, and seen all things quiet about us, we have forgotten thee our God, and refused to hearken to the still voice of thy word, and to obey thy commandments: But now we see how terrible thou art in all thy works of wonder; the great God to be feared above all: and therefore we adore thy Divine Majesty, acknowledging thy power, and imploring thy goodness. Help, Lord, and save us for thy mercy's sake, in Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord. Amen.From the 1789 book of common prayer: source

Come Love, come Lord, and that long day For which I languish, come away. When this dry soul those eyes shall see And drink the unseal'd source of Thee, When glory's sun faith's shades shall chase, Then for Thy veil give me Thy face. ... Richard Crashaw

NEW ORLEANS - Low-lying Louisiana parishes called for evacuations Saturday and Mississippi declared an emergency as Hurricane Katrina appeared to be taking aim at the region while gathering strength over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico.

This is not a test," New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said at a news conference. He said he would probably ask people to leave at daybreak Sunday, and said the Superdome could be pressed into use as a shelter of last resort for people who do not have cars.

Louisiana and Mississippi were making all lanes northbound on Interstates 55 and 59 beginning Saturday afternoon for evacuees.

Katrina threatened to strike land again as early as Monday after ripping across southern Florida and killing seven people.The rest--

LOS ANGELES - A group representing California religious schools has filed a lawsuit accusing the University of California system of discriminating against high schools that teach creationism and other conservative Christian viewpoints.

The Association of Christian Schools International, which represents more than 800 schools, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday claiming UC admissions officials have refused to certify high school science courses that use textbooks challenging Darwin's theory of evolution. Other rejected courses include "Christianity's Influence in American History."

But the word 'temple' took on a deeper significance when Jesus referred to His own body as 'this temple.' He thus definitely declared Himself to be the personal embodiment of the living God. Later the Apostle Paul applied this term to Christians... "Ye are God's building... Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" And again, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and that ye are not your own?" Paul taught that it is God's people who constitute the true church of God, and wherever they have fellowship in the Gospel, God is there. Moreover, he emphasized that as members of this true church it is our privilege to be "laborers together with God." It is our privilege to build upon the one foundation, Jesus Christ, with gold, silver, precious stones -- the kind of Christian service which abides for recognition at the judgment seat of Christ. Again, it is our responsibility to be consecrated for holy living and faithful service, "for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; so we must shun evil, and, since we have been bought with a price, we must glorify God in body and spirit. ... Milford C. Olson

Collect:Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.Romans 12:1-8I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-- what is good and acceptable and perfect.For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

LIVERPOOL, UK (ANS) -- 3000 mourners filled Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral on Thursday, August 25 for the funeral service of Anthony Walker, an 18 year old Christian youth leader who died in an appalling racist attack that was described as the “shame of Liverpool.”

Anthony was devoted to God, his family and his friends. The athletic, basketball-loving teenager had tuned down the opportunity to join a basketball club so that he could focus more of his time and energy, serving as a youth leader at the Grace family church in Aigburth.

Pastor Di Stacey described Anthony as a “very special young Man. He wasn’t a rebellious kid, he had a really sweet and good heart and all he wanted to do was to help other people.”

The attack happened on July 29th as Anthony walked his teenage girlfriend to a bus stop in the Huyton district of Merseyside. Accompanied by his cousin Marcus Binns, 17, the trio decided to move to another bus stop after Anthony was verbally abused by a group of young men taunting him with racial hatred. Taking a short cut through a local park the gang followed the group where Anthony an A level student who wanted to become a lawyer suffered a fatal blow to his head from an axe.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is now purportedly "channeling" her slain son, Casey, from heaven, suggesting he's calling President Bush "an idiot," and she claims to have "tens of thousands of angels" supporting her cause to bring home immediately American troops serving in Iraq.

"When I get up [to heaven], he's gonna say, 'Good job, mom,'" the California woman said in a speech last night upon her return to Crawford, Texas. "He's not going to say, 'Why'd you make me spin in my grave?' you know. And I can just hear him saying, 'George Bush, you are really an idiot. You didn't know what you were doing when you killed me. You didn't know what you were getting into.'"

She publicly thanked her son and others who died in the Iraq War, and claimed to have the backing of Casey and his fellow fallen soldiers in the afterlife.

A single delegation of Chinese pilgrims attending the Catholic Church's World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, last week marked the latest breakthrough in relations between the Vatican and Beijing.

The delegation included both "underground" Catholics long persecuted by communist authorities, as well as the official Chinese "patriotic" church that pledges loyalty to the Communist Party instead of Rome.

Both the Vatican and Beijing have said little publicly about their differences. Instead, they have let a series of high-profile public events since Pope Benedict XVI began his pontificate in April signal tacit approval of a rapprochement.

(AgapePress) - Dr. Jean Wright, M.D., a Christian pediatrician and expert on fetal development, disputes the conclusions of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that claims unborn babies feel no pain. She says that finding is wrong, and she suspects the authors of the study have an agenda.

After completing their research, the investigators came to the conclusion that laws requiring discussion of fetal pain before a second trimester abortion should not be passed. Wright says they drew that conclusion because they are convinced babies in the womb do not feel pain until they are at least 28 weeks old. But Wright, who serves as Vice President over Women and Children at Memorial Health Center in Savanna, Georgia, says her professional experience has repeatedly negated that notion.

"Every day that I stand in our neonatal intensive care unit and see an infant that's 25, 26, or 28 weeks gestation, I don't have to have any of these fancy studies to say [whether these infants] feel pain," she contends, "because here's the same baby that, inside, you would be measuring and referring to as a fetus, that I'm seeing outside and calling him a premie baby. And that data is overwhelming."

America's Least Free: Pastors and ChurchesMinister will fight for freedom in churches by running for U.S. Senate.

AgapePress) A black conservative pastor believes the least free place in America today is the church and the pulpit.He says that is one reason why he wants to be Michigan's next U.S. senator. Keith Butler pastors the 21,000-member Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, Mich.

The former Detroit City Council member says incumbent Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow opposes legislation that would reverse a 1954 law prohibiting places of worship from engaging in the political process. Butler says churches should have the same rights as any union hall or non-profit group. "I certainly support ... giving churches their legal First Amendment rights," the pastor says.

Tonight marks the beginning of a one-night, one-day event that organizers are calling the nation’s “strongest” apologetics conference.

Nearly 1,500 teens, parents, and church leaders have registered in advance for the sold-out event aimed to help teens to understand and defend the Christian worldview in a secular society, while more than 500 had to be turned away.

“With two out of three teens evacuating the church completely after they graduate from high school, we must do a better job of providing the answers teens need to make their faith their own,” explained Focus on the Family, which planned the Aug. 26 – 27 “Dare 2 Dig Deeper: Big Dig Apologetics Weekend Conference” in Colorado Springs, Colo.the rest

ARE YOU EVER DISTURBED?"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." John 14:27

There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever "spirit and life." Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? "My peace I give unto you" - it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.

Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God's providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."

Be Ready for Questions When 'Da Vinci' Hits Screen in 2006Phil BoatwrightBaptist Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dan Brown’s staggering bestseller "The Da Vinci Code" comes to the screen in May 2006. The downside: Many nonbelievers will take the fictitious story to be truth. The upside: Some will ask Christians questions.

(CNSNews.com) - The al Qaeda terrorist network may be planning a terrorist attack in a major city in Asia as a bid to undermine investor confidence and cause serious economic damage, one of Europe's leading terrorist investigators has warned.

French anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere told Britain's Financial Times there was information indicating that Japan and other countries in the region may be targets.

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-life group is charging Planned Parenthood with having a secret deal with the manufacturer of the "morning after" pill that would enable the nation's largest abortion provider to make millions of dollars in profits selling Plan B kits.

If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "gives a green light for over-the-counter distribution, Planned Parenthood stands to take in a minimum $100 million profit over a five-year period from sales of the Plan B 'morning-after' pill," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International.

"Such action from the FDA would allow Planned Parenthood to take maximum advantage of a sweetheart deal the organization arranged with Plan B's owner, Barr Pharmaceuticals," to buy the drug at below-market cost and undercut other pharmacies' retail prices, he stated.

Britain: New figures show spread of CD hospital superbugBy Sam Knight, Times Online

The full extent of how a deadly diarrhoea-inducing superbug has spread across Britain's hospital wards was revealed for the first time by the Government today.

Nearly 45,000 cases of Clostridium difficile (C difficile) infection were recorded in 2004 among patients over the age of 65 according to official figures released by the Department of Health.

The statistics are the first result of a new compulsory reporting scheme started by the DoH to track the rising infection rate. In the early 1990s there were just 1,000 cases of C difficile reported in the UK. In 2000, there were 20,000 cases.

C difficile, a tough bacteria that can cause fatal diarrhoea infections in the old and infirm, is among the most prolific and dangerous of the so-called superbugs that plague Britain's hospital wards.

For Real: Many Well-Publicized 'Hate Crimes' Were StagedThe goal is to keep homosexuality in the public eye, no matter what the cost.8/24/2005By Lindsey Douthit

It seems to defy logic: people committing "hate crimes" against themselves.

But cases keep arising of homosexuals staging hate crimes and then portraying themselves as victims of narrow-minded bigots. Often, the cases occur while a pro-homosexual measure is under consideration, such as a "hate crimes" law or the addition of "sexual orientation" to a statute or campus policy.

Homosexuals who commit faked hate crimes often admit to police that they did it either for attention or to express anger over the slowness of social "reform." In either case, the initial publicity creates the impression of an urgent need for the public to do something.

The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, Rt Revd Andrew Burnham, is a ‘flying bishop’, created to look after parishes which do not accept women clergy. He looks after several such parishes in the Oxford Diocese. Below, he writes about his ‘conversion’ to Alpha.

THERE has been some surprise that, just before the summer, I launched an Alpha initiative. ‘Isn’t that stuff a bit too evangelical?’ ‘a bit cheesy?’ I was asked. ‘Isn’t it a bit weak on the sacraments?’ (Mind you, what could be more sacramental than meeting together to learn about Jesus over supper?)

I myself was surprised when I first discovered that it is in Catholic countries that Alpha is spreading fastest and doing some of its most valuable work. I was no less surprised by the enthusiasm of the Roman Catholic authorities, from the Pope down. Alpha, as the name suggests, is just a beginning. It is pre-evangelism or, at any rate, pre-catechesis. You become intrigued and infatuated with someone before you genuinely fall in love and get to know someone. Sometimes infatuations blaze for a while and burn out. Sometimes they lead to a real encounter and a real relationship. So it is with our relationship with Jesus.

Thirty-two priests and deacons of the diocese of Recife were deposed on Aug. 23, charged with abandoning the Communion [por abandono de Comunhão] of the Episcopal-Anglican Church of Brazil [IEAB] for pledging their continued loyalty to the Bishop of Recife, the Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti.

In announcing the depositions, the Rt. Rev. Filadelfo Oliveira, Bishop suffragan of Recife, said “dialogue had been exhausted” with the “uncompromising and rebellious” Recife clergy. Acting on behalf of the Primate of Brazil, he deposed without trial the clergy, who minister to approximately 90 percent of the diocese’s communicants, under Article 3.5.4 of the IEAB’s canons on the abandonment of Communion.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.

WASHINGTON, August 25, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - US porn king, Philip D. Harvey, is suing the Bush administration over its anti-prostitution policies saying that the restriction on USAID funding is an "unconstitutional infringement of speech." Harvey, the founder and chief executive of one of the world's largest mail-order pornography and sex merchandise businesses is also the founder and president of DKT International which promotes condoms and abortion in the developing world and is a major player in the population control movement.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Bush administration says that U.S. and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) receiving USAID funding must adopt a policy "explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking."

Jesus came back on a Saturday night. Mike and I were sitting in his car after the prayer meeting, discussing the return of Christ, and had just observed that it could happen that very night. The remark had not been prompted by any singular event or sign. We said the same thing every Saturday night.